5 underrated FSU commits in 2026 class who deserve higher rankings

It probably won't happen because so much of recruiting is politics.
The Florida State Seminoles hosted the Florida Gators at Doak Campbell Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024.
The Florida State Seminoles hosted the Florida Gators at Doak Campbell Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. | Alicia Devine/Tallahassee Democrat / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

FSU football has 22 commits in its 2026 recruiting class, which is ranked No. 15 nationally. The Noles have one of the highest blue-chip ratios at 68 percent.

A couple of the commits have received higher rankings recently, and others have seen their ranking decrease.

Ironically, there's no rhyme or reason for some of the movement because most of these players haven't played in any meaningful football games since December. It's a lot of politics, some evaluation, and mostly projection with these subscription-based recruiting sites.

I find it ironic that all the teams in the top 10(aside from Miami) are in the SEC and B1G. It seems players who commit to those programs get the benefit of the doubt, and that is why there are five players in FSU's recruiting class who should be ranked higher:

  • Tedarius Hughes
  • Amari Thomas
  • Jakobe Green
  • Karon Maycock
  • Noah LaVallee

Tedarius Hughes is a four-star composite and is the No. 322 player and No. 25 safety. He'll need to add some weight, but his length is elite, and he has excellent ball skills. The amount of ground he covers is unreal. He should be among the top 20 safeties nationally.

Amari Thomas is a blue-chip composite and is the No. 337 player and No. 21 running back. He rushed for nearly 2,000 yards and 34 touchdowns last year. He also caught 12 passes for 247 yards and three touchdowns. He had excellent production as a sophomore as well. He's 5'10" and 190 pounds and could contribute as a freshman if he's an early enrollee.

Jakobe Green is a composite three-star with excellent size for an interiour offensive lineman. He's 6'3" and 335 pounds! He'll probably need to reshape his body as most high school offensive lineman, but there are not 51 interior offensive lineman better than Green. He'll be a road grater in Gus Malzahn's offense.

Kayon Maycock is a composite three-star linebacker, but there's a reason several teams were trying to flip him before he shut down his recruitment a few days ago. He's 6'1" and 200 pounds with the frame to add more size. His ranking has improved some since his initial ranking, but 62 tackles (17 TFL)s, 3 PBUs, 3 sacks and 2 FFs in 8 games at Miami Central speaks for itself.

Noah LaVallee is a composite three-star linebacker who has massive production in one of Georgia's best high school classifications. He's already 6'1" and 220 pounds, so he's closer to ready to play than many high school linebackers. He had 124 tackles (8TFL), 5 PBU, 4 QBH and 2 fumble recoveries last year. Folks are trying to tell me there are 129 more linebackers better? I'm not buying it.